Influence of Amaranthus betacyanin pigments on the physical properties and color of wheat flours.

The effect of betacyanin pigments from Amaranthus tricolor and Amaranthus cruentus on chromatic and physicochemical properties of three wheat flours was studied. Addition of Amaranthus betacyanins increased the gelatinization temperatures (T(o), T(p), and T(c)) of all wheat flours without altering their transition ranges (T(c)-T(o)). The melting enthalpies (DeltaH) were either increased or decreased depending on the types of flour and pigment. Amaranthus betacyanins decreased the peak viscosity (PV), hot paste viscosity (HPV), cold paste viscosity (CPV), setback (SB), and pasting time (PT) of all flours and increased the breakdown (BD). Texture profile analysis (TPA) showed that Amaranthus betacyanins decreased hardness, and gumminess, and increased cohesiveness of all gels, without altering adhesiveness. Chromatic investigation exhibited that A. tricolor and A. cruentus pigments imparted gels with red and orange-yellow hues with favorable color stability.